Hey again! This is the time of year when applications go out for all the campus jobs, so I thought I'd take this time to talk about some of the many student employement opportunities we have here at The Woods! I know the "poor college student" stereotype is overwhelmingly prevelant, but there ARE ways to combat it so you have ways to fund your various activities during college! While some students do have jobs off campus, there are many jobs available to students right here on campus. These campus jobs will be the focus of my blog today.

Alicia Delaney and Darian Lightfoot, two of the CAs in the Alpha Chi House!

"Work Study" is probably the most common job for students on campus. Work study is needs-based and takes a variety of forms. Every year, students fill out the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid). This form synthesizes all the info about your family's income and assets and determines how much "federal student aid" your family qualifies for, which in turn regulates how many hours per week you can work and how much money you can earn during every semester. These work study jobs come in many different shapes and sizes. Sometimes, students choose to work as assistants in the department of their majors (such as the ASL/Interpreting dept or the Theatre dept, for example). Other times, students choose to work in independent departments, such as the campus library or in the Fulton community daycare that is housed on campus. The position of Community Advisor (CA) is also a work study position. There is a CA on every floor of every residence hall on campus. CAs basically act as the go-to person for everyone on their floor. For example, if their residents need a lightbulb replaced, the CAs will contact maintenance for them, or if two roommates are having difficulties, the CAs will help them find a solution. CAs also host a social event for their hall every couple weeks. It can seem like a lot of work sometimes, but I know many students who have been CAs for several years and have absolutely loved it!

There are several other jobs on campus that aren't part of work study. These jobs are available to all students, including students who come from higher-income families that may not qualify for government aid. The first one of these jobs I want to talk about is University Ambassador (UA). I touched on this in my post two weeks ago. UAs are the students that host you, the prospective student, and your families when you come to visit William Woods! We give you tours, we host you for lunch in Tucker, and sometimes we host you when you stay overnight on campus! Lindsey Cornelius, Joanie Ryan, and I are also blogging this year as part of our UA job. I have been a UA for two years now, and I have loved every minute of it. I love meeting new students and talking about my favorite university. If you like meeting new people, this could be a great job for you!

Jamie Lanagan, one of the telecounselors, having fun in the photography lab!

Phonathon and Telecounseling are the next two jobs I want to discuss. If you don't mind talking on the phone, these jobs would be right up your ally! Phonathon involves current students calling William Woods University alumni to see if they would be interested in/are able to donate money to William Woods. We're proud to say that William Woods is one of the few universities that is entirely debt-free, and part of the way we maintain that is through the donations of people who have had first-hand experience with how great WWU is! Telecounseling, on the other hand, involves calling students who are still in high school that have expressed some interest in William Woods. Students who work this job call high school students to invite them to campus visit days, remind them of application deadlines, etc. New students are the life-blood of every university, so the importance of encouraging interest in WWU cannot be underestimated!

Finally, I want to talk about my two favorite jobs ever: Freshman Advantage Mentor and Peer Mentor! Freshman Advantage (FA) is a three-week summer program in June that is open to any and all students who have just graduated high school and are planning on attending WWU that August. During these three weeks, the freshmen have the opportunity to take a couple common studies courses to get those out of the way, familiarize themselves with campus, and meet several other freshmen as well as some upperclassmen, which is where the job opportunity comes in. Every year, WWU hires

Last year's FA Mentors all dressed up for costume dodgeball!

several upperclassmen to work as mentors during this program. In addition to being available to tutor the freshmen in any given subject, the mentors are in charge of organizing and conducting a different social event every single night as well as the weekends. I absolutely LOVED working as an FA mentor last summer. I also really enjoyed working as a Peer Mentor the year before. Peer Mentors serve basically the same purpose as FA Mentors, but on a slightly smaller scale. Every incoming freshmen is required to take a class called "connections," which essentially serves as an "intro to college" course. If you attend FA, you take connections then. If you don't, you'll take connections during your very first fall semester on campus. Peer Mentors are upperclassmen who sit in on connections during the fall semester and are there to offer a student perspective on anything the teachers discuss in class. I love getting to act as a role model for others, so working as a mentor was one of the best experiences of my life!

I guess the moral of the story is simple: you don't have to be a poor college student! Obviously, there are many different opportunities to work on campus. The types of jobs available are as varied as the students that attend this university. No matter what your interests are, you will be able to find something that is right for you!